Touch
by lunastars
Summary: "Never in his life had Daryl taken such a chance but he knew that despite her believes she was far from broken, from ruined, but even if she was, with the right care there was no reason why she couldn't be the Carol he saw when she was alone and had no reason to be afraid, his Carol." - Caryl. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I feel like it's been forever since I wrote something Caryl related. I've been missing them lately and the past couple of days or so I've been listening to the EP 'Trxye' by Troye Sivan and one of the songs 'Touch' just brought this idea to mind so it seemed like the perfect time to write it about them.

**This is set in a world without the zombie apocalypse. **

* * *

_"Standing in the eye of the storm  
My eyes start to roll to the curl of your lips  
And the centre of eclipse  
In total darkness I reach out and touch."_

* * *

It had been storming outside for the past two hours or so. Daryl had found Carol on the side of the road with her broken down car. Her house was too far out for her to make it home before the storm got worse so Daryl made her get in his truck and come back to the trailer with him. They had met a few of months ago. At first she was quiet about her life but Daryl wasn't stupid, nobody nearby was, it was crystal clear she was being beaten. He brought it up once but it only served to push her away so Daryl never outright brought it up again but he always made a habit of subtly telling her that there was always plenty of room at the trailer. He wanted her to know that she did have somewhere to go and although it wasn't the fanciest place in the world it was a hell of a lot safer.

It didn't take long for the power in the trailer to go out after they got back. Between the two of them they managed to get a couple of candles up so they could see. Daryl sat up on one of the counters while Carol leaned against one across from her. There was a soft glow around her and the silence rung out around them. Something was clearly on her mind and like always he never said a word, but this time was different. It was just the two of them and with her unable to run home this would be the perfect time to convince her she needed to leave.

Carefully he jumped off of the side and made his way over to her. They were closer than they had been in a long time. He moved his hands to rest on the counter top either side of her, practically locking her in place. Her circumstances made no difference to the fact that Daryl was never the kind of person to openly admit his feelings to someone, but he always wanted something to happen. At first he thought it was because it would be the perfect way to get her away from her husband but as time went on he knew it was because he genuinely cared.

He opened his mouth to say something but he was too late. He had taken too long to do something and had given her time to freak out and make her mind up. She pushed against his chest, forcing him back. Before he could call for her Carol darted towards the door and ran out of the trailer. Daryl cursed as he ran after her. The rain was coming down heavy now, so heavy that he could barely see around. He managed to just about keep an eye on Carol as he raced after her. Eventually he did catch up and he grabbed her arm tight enough to pull her back but not to hurt her.

As she turned around they were standing in the middle of a torrential downpour and hazarded winds. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from fighting and eventually she stopped. They stood staring at each for a long time. Carol's usual fear of having to deal with the consequences of being around Daryl when she got home was etched across her face, but Daryl saw something more there. She was looking at him like she was just sick of running away.

His eyes dropped to her lips. Between the weather and the darkness the only thing he could really make out was her. She was the only thing close enough. He brought up his other hand and reached out to trail his finger down her jawline. His mind was racing and so was hers. Daryl was quite willing to bite the bullet and fight for her now. He was from the moment he spotted the day old bruises around her collarbone, over her left shoulder and at the base of her neck. Never in his life had Daryl taken such a chance but he knew that despite her believes she was far from broken, from ruined, but even if she was, with the right care there was no reason why she couldn't be the Carol he saw when she was alone and had no reason to be afraid, his Carol. He dropped his hand from her face and loosened his arm around her. They had this unspoken rule that they were strictly friends and friends didn't touch or invade the other's personal space. However, she looked at him like those rules didn't exist so he broke past their rules and pulled her closer to him, holding her into his chest.

Daryl's eyes drifted up to study Carol's face. He fixated on the finer details, like the curl of her lips. The storm roared around them and the darkness acted like a blanket between them and the rest of the world. They both seemed to fixate on that darkness as Daryl finally closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_I know some people wanted more to this so I decided to do a part 2. I doubt there will be more than this but I definitely want to write more Caryl and/or AU Walking Dead stories in the future._

_A friendly reminder that this story was inspired by the song Touch by Troye Sivan. Enjoy!_

* * *

Daryl's entire being was alive. There were so many different sensations hitting him all at once. The rain still continued to fall in droplets down his skin as the darkness engulfed him and the wind threatened to knock him sideways. But the thing that struck Daryl the hardest, the thing that was quite literally capable of taking his breath away, was Carol. The feel of her lips against his was more than enough to drive him insane. This was never his endgame, that had always been to get her somewhere safe, but in the eye of the storm he started to wonder if maybe that place was with him.

Like with most happy endings, and most things in Daryl's life, they're hard to keep. The kiss felt like a lifetime of bliss but in reality it could have only been mere seconds. In that time Daryl was able to calculate all of the reasons as to why this was the best moment of his life so far but for Carol is seemed to be all the time she needed to calculate the exact opposite. The moment the kiss broke everything started to unravel and reality really hit the situation.

Carol was already moving away from him, her body turning away from him and heading into the storm once again. It took a moment for Daryl to realise what was happening and in that time she had already moved away quite a bit. As his mind caught up with him he moved quickly. As gently as he could he gripped her arm and tugged her back, forcing her to stop moving.

"Come back inside with me," he yelled over the storm. "It ain't safe out here!"

"I need to go home." Her voice was quiet but it carried easily over the wind.

"It's too dangerous."

As she looked back at him they both knew that he wasn't just talking about the storm now. This time he was talking about something far more dangerous.

"He'll kill me if I don't get home," Carol told him as she turned her whole body back towards him. "I have more chance of staying alive if I get back now."

"You don't have to go back," Daryl said as he swallowed his fears.

"I do," she tried to reason.

Daryl let go of her arm and took a hold of her hand instead. He held it loosely but still enough to keep her where she stood. "No, you don't."

"Daryl…"

"Come back inside," he pleaded again. "I'll make sure you're safe. Please."

It wasn't clear whether it was Daryl's words or simply the impact of the storm but eventually Carol nodded her head and allowed him to lead her back inside. They moved efficiently through the storm back towards the trailer. Daryl made sure to keep a hold of Carol's hand out of fear that she might turn around slip away from him again.

He only allowed himself to let go of her once they were back inside and the door was shut. He went to go and grab some towels but before he could Carol took a hold of his hand again and stopped him. Gradually Daryl turned back around to face her. The power was still out in the trailer but there was enough light from the moon seeping in the nearby window. It cast a glow over the two of them, just enough to be seen.

Once again his eyes drifted to the curl of her lips and for a second time he leaned in and kissed her. His other hand trailed up her arm softly before he tugged her forehead. He moved backwards through the trailer. The kiss rarely broke and when it did he would lean right back in again. This time she never pulled away from him and never made a move to run in the opposite direction. He pushed open his bedroom door and kicked it shut again once they were inside.

This time when the kiss broke he kept his head back to look at her. The light was even less. The silence around them rung out and in the darkness between them he could feel her gentle breathing. It felt more real than anything he had ever experienced. This night was different and he was planning to make it the night he changed both of their lives, especially hers.

Daryl let go of her hand and instead wrapped his arms around her. He tugged her in close. Carol rested her hands on his shoulders. Slowly he moved them back until they were able to sit on the end of his bed. One of his hands moved up her back as one of her hands moved over his shoulder to rest on his chest. Time seemed to move just as slowly as they were but for the two of them it felt like a million steps all at once.

Daryl's mind was going crazy and Carol's equally so. His entire being was being attacked again but this time it was entirely down to Carol. This was new territory for the two of them and as the night wore on it became crystal clear that they were both finally able to take that leap of faith. He could feel Carol learning to trust him more and more. He would never let himself believe that Carol was truly broken like she seemed to believe, but even if she was, he was more than willing to be the thing that helped for her to feel whole again, God knows he needed some fixing himself.

Carol's trust in him was practically radiating outwards like a beacon as they moved back further onto the bed and she allowed him to lie beside her. They were on their sides. Her hands were lying on the mattress between their chests. Daryl rested his hand over hers, locking their fingers together.

"I feel so lost," she said through the darkness.

"I'm here," Daryl said instantly.

"If I go back there now…" Her words trailed off.

"You're never going back there," Daryl told her as he squeezed her hand. "You're gonna stay right here. I'll look out for you and keep you safe. I'm never letting that man back in your life again. He will never lay another finger on you. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

His promises seemed to echo out around them. Fear twisted in the pit of Daryl's stomach as Carol removed her hand from beneath his. Their rules were an unspoken but known thing between them. He had broken them a lot tonight and now he was sure he was going to pay for it. He could still hear her breathing and he was sure he could hear her heart beating in time with his. Everything about her just pulled him in closer. Of all the ways Daryl expected to happen the next few moments, he never expected for Carol to reach out in the total darkness between them and place a gentle hand on his cheek as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.


End file.
